The First Apprentice
by AKLNxStories
Summary: Gilan is entering his first year as Halt's apprentice and the two have already become like father and son. Halt never knew having an apprentice could make him happy, and Gilan never knew being a Ranger could be so fun! But when a past evil begins to arise in seek of revenge, training may be put on hold. Summary sucks, story is probably better xD. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey people! So I noticed there was a lack of Gilan focused stories on here, I thought that was outrageous seeing how he's an awesome character. So I gathered the other writers of this account and decided to make a story focusing on Gilan's apprenticeship. This story will follow Gilan and his years as in apprentice, starting with his first year. There will be a few surprises that I hope you all will like. Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: We DO NOT own Ranger's Apprentice. If we did the 12th book wouldn't exist.**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Thwack!_ The small arrow drove through the hard bark of the oak tree. A grin crept its way onto Gilan's face as the young apprentice stared at the arrow with satisfaction.

"Not bad," an indifferent voice said from behind him.

Gilan spun around and locked eyes with his mentor, Halt. The grin on his face grew wider and he crossed his arms.

"Why thank you." he responded gleefully.

Halt frowned disapprovingly and shook his head. "What did I tell you about being conceited?"

Gilan's smile faltered as his shoulders slumped. "Sorry," he mumbled. "But I still hit the tree this time!"

Halt couldn't argue with that. For the past few weeks the apprentice had barely been able to hit a tree from a foot away. Halt nodded in acknowledgement and turned around.

"Good work." he said as he made his way back to the cabin.

Gilan's smile returned and he bounded to the tree to retrieve his arrow. He grabbed ahold of it and tugged, expecting it to come loose immediately. He frowned when the shaft remained buried in the sturdy bark of the tree. Dropping his bow, he grabbed it with both hands and pulled harder, hearing a small crackling sound. He ignored it and placed both feet firmly against the base of the tree, pulling on the arrow with all his strength. _Crack!_ The arrow snapped in half sending Gilan sprawling to the ground. The apprentice quickly sat up and held up the pathetic half of the arrow in his hand. He stared at it with dismay and groaned. The apprentice slowly rose to his feet rubbed the back of his head. He sighed and took a step forward toward the tree to get the rest of the arrow when he heard a loud _Snap!_ He froze in horror and looked down. There, broken under his boot was his recurve bow. Gilan let out a cry of despair and knelt down by his bow. He picked up the bow which was snapped in half and bit his lip.

"Oh no," he whimpered, examining the unrepairable damage.

"Gilan!" Halt shouted sharply from the cabin. "Come in!"

Gilan flinched. His gaze flickered from the broken arrow, to the broken bow. He whimpered and slowly stood. Maybe he could conceal the broken items without Halt knowing. _And maybe porcupines with sprout wings and fly._ Gilan thought to himself with dismay. He looked over his shoulder toward the cabin and stuffed the bow and arrow under his cloak. He had to give it a try. He slowly walked toward the cabin taking a shuddering breath with each step. He felt like he was going to throw up, or pass out, or die, or all three. Either one would be better than facing Halt with a broken bow.

* * *

Halt glanced up from his report to look out the window. Normally, Gilan would come charging into the house like a wild animal when Halt called him for dinner. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the hesitation in his apprentice's step. He looked like he was walking to his death. Halt watched with curiosity as Gilan went around the back way rather than coming in the front door. Halt returned his gaze to his report when he heard the back door open quietly. The rust on the hinges creaked ever so slightly, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hear the door at all. He heard quiet, quick footsteps on the floor behind him and he knew it was Gilan heading toward his room.

"Gilan," Halt said abruptly. The footsteps stopped and Halt turned in his chair to face his apprentice.

Gilan looked pale as a sheet and his cloak was wrapped tightly around himself. He stared at the floor as Halt looked him up and down.

"Are you alright?" Halt asked emotionlessly, suppressing the rising concern he felt. "You look sick."

Gilan nodded slowly and lowered his head.

"Gil, look at me." Halt said. Gilan blinked and a look of panic flashed briefly across his face, but he still did not look at his mentor.

"Gilan," Halt snapped more forcefully.

Gilan flinched and slowly met his mentor's anxious gaze.

"What's wrong?"

Gilan's lip quivered and he shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing," he replied in barely a whisper. He offered a fake smile and began to turn away but Halt stopped him.

"I didn't say you could leave," Halt said. "Are you hiding something?"

Gilan shook his head quickly and pulled his cloak closer to him. Halt's gaze hardened and he raised an eyebrow.

"What's under your cloak then?" he asked. "Show me."

Gilan clenched his teeth nervously and slowly unwrapped his cloak, revealing the broken bow and arrow. Halt let out an exasperated sigh and put a hand to his head.

"Get over here," he said quietly, but with force. Gilan slowly approached and cowered under his mentor's smoldering gaze. Halt held out his hand and Gilan placed the bow in it. Halt looked over the bow then set it on the table. He stared down Gilan for a moment. Then, without warning he roughly grabbed his apprentice by the back of his cloak and dragged him toward his room.

"Halt, wait!" Gilan gasped as he twisted in his mentor's grasp. "I didn't mean to-"

"Sit," Halt said harshly as he pushed Gilan into a chair.

Gilan stared up fearfully at Halt who crossed his arms.

"Well?" the Ranger asked.

Gilan's face crumpled. "I didn't mean to break it Halt, honestly!" he began tearfully. "It was an accident!"

Halt's gaze softened as he sighed and shook his head. "I'm not mad because you broke the bow."

Gilan sniffed and quickly wiped at his eyes with the end of his cloak. "Really?"

Halt nodded slowly. "I'm mad because you lied to me and tried to hide it from me."

Gilan looked down and nodded. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Halt gave a curt nod. "I should think so," Gilan shifted in his chair and continued to sniffle and wipe at his eyes.

"Now, your going to stay in here for the rest of the night, no late training." Halt continued. Gilan nodded reluctantly.

"And you can go without dinner tonight as well."

Gilan straightened in the chair. "Aww, but Haaalt," he whined. Halt's hard stare silenced him before he could continue. Gilan slumped farther into the chair and began grumbling. "Fine, I'll starve to death," he scowled. "and then come back as a ghost and make a home in your kitchen."

Halt rolled his eyes and walked away, listening to the comedic grumbling of his apprentice. As he walked out the door he couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt. He quickly shrugged it off, he wasn't going to let his apprentice lie to him without consequence. He had to teach him lying was wrong.

An hour later, the two were sitting outside on the steps enjoying dinner.

* * *

 **Reviews are LOVED 3. If you have any suggestions/requests, let us know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yawn. It's late but I'm going to write Chapter 2 in case I don't get any time tomorrow. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **~Anna**

 **Chapter 2**

Halt awoke to the sweet aroma of coffee. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. _Who's making coffee this early in the morning?_ He asked himself. He warily got out of bed and grabbed his longbow which was laid beside his bed. Creeping toward the door carefully, he nocked an arrow and peered out of the door. Seeing no one, he continued and made his way slowly into the kitchen. Halt looked around and saw only a large mug of steaming coffee sitting in the middle of the table. He approached it, placed his bow on the table and sat down. He drew the cup of coffee closer and peered into the dark liquid. He took a test sip and made a satisfied face.

 _Someone knows how to make a good cup of coffee._ He thought. That's when he heard the thumping. A faint, but constant sound. He turned his head and looked out the window. He caught a glimpse of a tall, slim figure throwing knives at the large oak tree in the yard. Either Halt had gone crazy, or his apprentice had gotten up before him.

* * *

Gilan knew he missed the second the knife left his hand. He huffed as he watched the knife whizz past the oak tree and land in the bushes behind it. He reached down and grabbed another knife from the pile beside him. He drew back his arm and aimed at the tree. In one fluid movement, Gilan hurled the knife at the oak, this time hearing a satisfying _THUD_ as the knife buried itself deep in the tree. He nodded with satisfaction and moved forward to retrieve the knife.

"You'd better let me do that," a sharp voice from behind Gilan said.

Gilan jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around. He let out a quick sigh of relief and slumped against the nearest tree.

"Halt, you scared me to death!" he breathed.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Halt's face as he pulled his cowl over his head.

"I'd better go ghost proof my kitchen then,"

Gilan scowled and stuck out his tongue at his mentor. Halt raised an eyebrow and walked briskly past his apprentice. He grabbed the knife in the tree and yanked it out with ease.

"Take this," he said as he put the knife in Gilan's hand. "We're going to train in the woods today."

Gilan's bright blue eyes lit up with happiness. "Really?" he asked enthusiastically.

Halt nodded as he picked up his own throwing knives from the small pile Gilan had made.

Gilan's face suddenly fell. "Aww, but I broke my bow." he huffed.

Halt sighed. "That's why you have the knife."

Gilan shrugged and twirled the knife around in his hand. "Alright then,"

"And this," Halt added, throwing a small stick looking thing to him.

Gilan caught it sloppily and examined it quickly. It looked like an stick with two protruding ends and string strung across the middle of them.

"What is this?" Gilan asked.

"Some call it a slingshot." Halt explained. "It will replace your bow for now."

Gilan looked down at the small device doubtfully, but attached it to his belt.

Halt finished concealing the throwing knives in various pockets under his cloak and gestured for Gilan to follow him. Gilan smiled and skipped after Halt as the Ranger moved quickly into the forest. The two silently walked deeper into the trees, holding their weapons close. Gilan seemed to have trouble keeping up with his mentor, as he tripped over ever stick and rock the pair encountered. Finally, Halt paused and held out his hand, gesturing for Gilan to stop as well. The apprentice, who had been running to keep up, skidded to a stop and slammed into Halt who staggered forward.

"Pay attention to where you're going!" the Ranger hissed.

"Sorry," Gilan replied with a sheepish grin.

Halt huffed and glanced around the clearing they had stopped in. He turned around to face his apprentice and took out a small piece of parchment from a pocket on his tunic.

"That's the map of the forest," he explained as Gilan unfolded it. "Your job is to escape the woods without getting caught."

Gilan glanced up once at his mentor. "Caught?" he asked. "By whom?"

Halt crossed his arms. "Me."

Gilan let out a short laugh and folded the paper back up.

"What?" Halt asked.

Gilan snorted with laughter. "Oh nothing, it just sounded like you said "Me."" he replied, throwing in an amusing imitation of Halt's voice on the last word.

Halt raised an eyebrow.

Gilan's laughter instantly stopped.

"Oh you're being serious?" he asked.

Halt nodded curtly. Gilan paled slightly but then instantly slapped a big grin on his face.

"Well fine then!" he exclaimed. "Bring it on old man." Gilan narrowed his eyes mischievously and bounced on his toes playfully.

Halt took out a small, but jagged throwing knife. "Well, let's hope for your sake you don't get caught by this old man." he growled, waving the knife in Gilan's face.

Gilan squeaked and backed away, clutching the map close to him.

"You have a 10 minute head start," Halt said. "You better get moving."

Gilan tilted his head in mock confusion. "10 minutes?" he laughed. "Are you sure that's fair, oh wise one?"

Halt gripped the knife tighter. "5 minutes,"

Gilan's eyes widened and he scrambled away into the trees. Halt watched with an exasperated sigh as his apprentice tripped over a large rock and tumbled down a hill, out of sight.

* * *

Gilan came to a rolling stop at the base of the hill and lay dazed for a moment. Then he shook off his shock and scrambled to his feet. He looked around and gazed down at the map. The woods were a lot bigger than he realized. He folded up the map quickly and shoved it carelessly into his boot. He gripped his throwing knife tightly and darted forward. Gilan made sure he didn't step on any twigs and tried to avoid large patches of dead leaves. He glanced over his shoulder once to see if he was being pursued but then cursed himself for being an idiot. No one ever saw Halt coming.

Gilan quickly pulled his cowl over his head and shrank behind a tree to catch his breath. He slid to the ground and quickly unfolded the map. He charted where he was and where he needed to be. He was still at least a good 3 miles from the edge of the woods. He slowly got to his feet an peered out from around the tree. Halt had already begun to pursue him. Gilan felt a sudden stab of fear.

 _Would Halt really hurt me if he found me?_ He thought to himself. The Ranger had always been fond of training as realistically as possible. Gilan quickly shrugged off the fear. No, he decided. Halt wouldn't hurt him. As Gilan continued silently toward his destination, an idea began to form in his mind. He reached down and took the map out of his boot once again and unfolded it. He would change his route. Although he would end up about a mile away from where he actually needed to be, Halt wouldn't expect him to change direction. Gilan allowed himself mischievous smile and quickly changed his route.

Gilan walked for about a mile before stopping by a stream for a quick drink. He looked around carefully and then knelt down beside it. He cupped his hands and filled them with water, taking a few refreshing sips. Noticing a few smooth stones by the bank, he picked them up. They would make good ammo for his slingshot. He picked up a handful of them and stuffed them in a pouch on his belt. Then, he stood up quickly and leapt easily over the stream to continue on his way. Suddenly, Gilan froze. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over his shoulder and saw nothing. Fear began to rise in his chest and he quickly darted forward. He zigzagged through the trees and various boulders and bushes before stopping at the base of a very large maple tree.

Gilan looked around quickly and swiftly made his way up the tree. He reached a spot where he would be covered by leaves and stopped there. He was breathing heavily and tried to calm himself down so he wouldn't be heard. He looked down through the mass of leaves and saw a small, almost invisible figure creeping through the trees. The figure looked very ominous with his cloak and knife. Just the sight of him made Gilan's blood run cold. Suddenly, an idea struck Gilan like lightening. He silently pulled the slingshot and a rock from his belt and looked down. He placed the stone against the string of the slingshot and pulled it back. He aimed at a large bush a few meters away from the figure and fired.

The rock flew through the air and landed in the bush with a loud thump. The figure froze and slowly turned his head toward the bush. Gilan pulled back the slingshot once again, but this time aimed for the stream. He let the rock fly and it splashed loudly into the water. The figure quickly took off in the direction of the splash and disappeared behind a mass of bushes. Gilan smiled to himself and tucked the slingshot away. Quickly, he scampered down the tree and took off away from the cloaked figure. He glanced back once and sighed with relief when he saw he wasn't being pursued.

Gilan moved carefully and swiftly, avoiding any sticks or any leaves that would make a loud noise. He knew for a fact that his plan had worked. He had finally beat Halt. Suddenly a huge force slammed into Gilan knocking him off his feet with a loud _"OOF!"_. Gilan realized with horror that the cloaked figure had tackled him. A sudden surge of adrenaline caused Gilan to lash out at his attacker who was trying to pin him to the ground.

The figure however managed to get on top of Gilan and pin his arms under his knees. Gilan struggled under the weight of his attacker, but found that the figure was much stronger than him. Gilan held onto his throwing knife tightly and tried to wriggle his arm free but the man kept it firmly in place. The figure used all his weight to force his knee into Gilan's wrist, causing the apprentice gasp in pain and drop his knife.

This only fueled Gilan's strength as he fought more fiercely against the man. He managed to get his left arm free and he attempted a punch at the attacker. The man reacted with surprising speed, catching Gilan's fist and pinning his arm to the ground with his hand. Gilan froze when he felt cold metal against his throat. His bright blue eyes flashed with defiance as he stared up at the smug face of his mentor.

"I win," Halt said quietly, loosening his grip on Gilan's wrist.

Gilan scowled and attempted to shove Halt off of him, but the Ranger held him in place a little while longer. "You know you would be dead if this were real right?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Gilan grumbled pushing his mentor away from him. Halt helped him to his feet and tucked his knife into his belt.

"You went off route." Halt continued with a hint of approval in his voice.

Gilan nodded. "I had hoped you wouldn't expect that."

Halt crossed his arms. "I didn't."

"Then how did you-"

"You jumped out of the tree too early and made a terrible amount of noise." Halt explained.

Gilan sighed. He needed to work on patience next.

* * *

 **Reviews are loved! *hint hint***


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all! Hope you enjoy Chapter 3!**

 **~Liz**

 **Chapter 3**

Gilan fell into step beside Halt as the two walked through the forest to the cabin. Halt stared straight ahead blankly as he walked. Gilan glanced over thoughtfully at his mentor and wondered what he was thinking about. Suddenly, Halt came to a stop. His fixed his gaze on a disturbance in the mud then pointed at it.

"What's that?" he asked his apprentice.

Gilan turned his attention to the mud and bounded over to it. He knelt down on one knee to look the tracks. He looked up quizzically at his mentor and gave a half smile.

"Maybe a wolf." he offered.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?" he asked. "You can do better than that Gil, focus."

Gilan shrugged and returned his gaze to the mud. He examined the tracks closely, taking in every detail.

"A rabbit and a wolf," he began. "The wolf was hunting the rabbit and got it by the looks of it."

Halt nodded approvingly as he pulled his cowl over his head. A small raindrop fell onto Gilan's nose and he glanced up warily, pulling his cloak over his head.

"Great," he mumbled. "I hate rain."

"Perfect weather for bears," Halt falsely informed with a small smile.

Gilan gave him a disdainful look. He had an irrational fear of bears that began when he was young after a nature prank gone wrong.

"Ha ha, very funny." he snapped.

The sky was suddenly lit up by a bright flash of lightening which was followed shortly by an enormous clap of thunder.

"Halt!" Gilan cried and flew toward his mentor, clinging tightly to him. "It's the beeeaaars!"

Halt let out a curt laugh and wrapped a comforting arm around his apprentice's shoulders before continuing on through the trees.

"Not afraid of a little thunder, are you Gil?" Halt asked jokingly.

"Of course not." Gilan scowled and moved away from his mentor. But as they walked and as the thunder gradually became worse, Gilan occasionally inched closer to Halt.

The wind whipped at their cloaks fiercely as they walked along the edge of the river. The rushing river mixed with the sound of the rain on the rocks which made it difficult to hear anything within the forest, causing Gilan to become uneasy.

"Halt?" Gilan asked.

"Hm?"

"Suppose we do encounter a bear," Gilan continued. "What will we do?"

Halt shrugged. "Let's just hope we don't run into a bear."

Gilan blinked and looked around fearfully, not paying attention to where he was placing his feet. He let out a startled cry as he slipped on the damp rocks and fell forward into the river.

"Gilan!" Halt cried as he rushed forward and grabbed his apprentice's cloak.

Halt hauled Gilan out of the river and wrapped his cloak around the shivering apprentice.

"Are you alright?" Halt asked with concern.

Gilan nodded miserably and blinked water out of his eyes.

"L-let's just get back to the c-cabin." he mumbled between shivers.

Halt nodded in agreement and hurried his soaked apprentice along through the blinding rain.

* * *

 **I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. This isn't my best writing, so I also apologize for that. Next chapter Gilan will be going to train with MacNeil, that should be fun, especially with jealous Battleschool apprentices. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry if these next few chapters are kinda crappy. My plot bunny must have gone on summer vacation early. Enjoy!**

 **~Kat**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"ACHOO!"

Gilan sniffled and blew his nose loudly, throwing his tissue out the window beside his bed. He drew the blanket closer to himself and rolled over. He hated being sick, especially when he had to go to Battleschool training. He cursed himself for being so careless and falling in the river, if he hadn't done that, he would have been perfectly fine. He shuddered violently and shifted uncomfortably under the blanket.

 _I'd prefer the bear right about now._ He thought to himself.

Gilan moaned and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. The door creaked open quietly and Halt appeared with a hot cup of coffee.

"How are you feeling?" he asked handing Gilan the cup.

Gilan narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Not too good."

"Sit up when you drink that," Halt said. "Or else you'll spill it all over yourself."

Gilan reluctantly sat up and sipped occasionally at the coffee.

"You know you still have to go to your lesson today." Halt pointed out.

Gilan set the cup down on the table beside his bed and pulled the blanket over his head, moaning loudly. "I don't _have_ to go." he replied from under the blanket.

Halt half smiled and pulled the blanket away from his apprentice. "Yes you do, now get up."

With that the grizzled ranger turned around and left the room. Gilan stared after his mentor and stuck out his tongue. He swung off the blanket and slowly got to his feet. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he leaned against the wall for support. He sloppily threw on his Ranger uniform and sighed deeply. He walked to the door and stepped outside, squinting in the harsh sunlight.

Halt was already mounted on Abelard, waiting for Gilan who slowly mounted Blaze. Gilan slumped wearily in the saddle gently moved Blaze forward. Halt eyed his apprentice with concern but led the way to the Battleschool. In truth, Halt was reluctant to let Gilan go to training today too, but he knew that if an apprentice was sick at Battleschool they would have to train anyway, the same rules applied to his apprentice.

As they rode on the path to the Battleschool, Gilan slowed Blaze numerous times due to an upset stomach. As soon as the nausea passed, he encouraged the horse to speed up. Blaze shook her head in protest but sped up at Gilan's request. Gilan's stomach lurched as the horse trotted to keep up with Halt and he slowed the bay mare once again, this time sliding off the horse's back and stumbling toward the trees. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and moaned loudly. Halt glanced back, noticing his sick apprentice and hastily dismounted Abelard. He ran over to Gilan and patted his back gently.

"Are you going to throw up?" he asked quickly.

Gilan screwed his eyes shut and shook his head. "No, I-" but before he could finish his sentence he bent over and threw up in the bushes.

Halt rubbed his back and led him back to the path when he was done.

"I can tell MacNeil you were too ill to come," Halt finally said as he helped Gilan to Blaze.

Gilan shook his head and leaned against the tall bay mare. "No, I haven't been there in a while," he replied quietly. "I need to go today."

Halt hesitated, deciding what to do, then gave the apprentice an approving nod. "Alright, but I'm going to stay in case you need to leave early."

Gilan nodded and mounted Blaze slowly. Halt mounted his own horse then the two set off toward the Battleschool again.

* * *

"Great form!" MacNeil commented as Gilan sparred with a Battleschool apprentice. "But your strikes are a little weak today. Go ahead and take a break you two."

Both Gilan and the apprentice sighed with relief and broke away from each other. MacNeil clapped Gilan on the back and grinned at him.

"You're improving very fast!" he exclaimed. "Your father should be proud."

Gilan returned the smile halfheartedly and leaned against a fence post, twirling the sword in his hand.

"Are you alright Gil?" MacNeil asked, his smile fading.

Gilan shrugged. "Just a little sick, that's all."

MacNeil frowned and crossed his arms. "Well, you could have told me that before I paired you with one of our most advanced apprentices."

Gilan's eyes flicked up to the large apprentice staring daggers at him from across the field.

"He seems annoyed." Gilan sighed.

MacNeil shook his head. "He's just not used to losing, especially to someone who isn't even in the Battleschool." he explained. "Would you like to continue? or do you need to go home?"

"I'm fine to continue," Gilan responded. "Besides, Halt is over there watching." he gestured to a distant hill where a small figure was leaning against the wooden fence. "He'll take me out of he thinks I need to leave."

"Very well." MacNeil sighed. "Lucas, come!" The swordsman waved over the large Battleschool apprentice who was eagerly waiting to continue.

Lucas cracked his neck and made his way to the middle of the field where Gilan was standing.

"There will be three rounds," MacNeil began. "Ready," Gilan and Lucas got into the correct stance and held their wooden swords up.

"Begin!"

Lucas thrust the sword forward, but Gilan blocked it swiftly and landed a hard blow to Lucas' shoulder, causing the older apprentice to grunt in pain. Lucas swung his sword at Gilan out of pure fury, but Gilan ducked and caught Lucas right in the chest.

"Cease!" MacNeil exclaimed. "Round 1 goes to Gilan!"

Lucas tightened his jaw and clutched his sword harder.

"Ready...Begin!"

This time Gilan struck first. In one fluid motion, he swung his sword low and caught Lucas' ankle causing the Battleschool apprentice to fall backward onto his back. Gilan landed a soft blow to the apprentice's chest, once again ending the round as quick as it had started.

"Cease!" MacNeil called with surprise. "Round 2 goes to Gilan!"

Lucas stared at the smaller apprentice with shock, but his shock was quickly replaced with anger. He leapt to his feet and Gilan noted that his knuckles were turning white from holding the sword too tight. Gilan took a step away from Lucas who's eyes were burning with fury.

"Lucas," MacNeil warned. "Do you need a substitute?"

Lucas, suddenly becoming self-conscious, blinked and smiled sweetly at the Swordsman.

"No," he replied with faux sincerity. "I apologize for my aggression."

MacNeil smiled and nodded with approval. Gilan however, eyed him suspiciously. Battleschool apprentices weren't that polite.

"Well then, we will proceed with round three." MacNeil continued. "Ready..." Lucas narrowed his eyes and dropped into his stance. Gilan did the same and held his sword nervously.

"Begin!"

There was a small moment of quiet anticipation as both boys waited for the other to move. Lucas decided to take the first action. He attempted the same motion of aiming for the ankles as Gilan did, but Gilan jumped as the wooden sword came toward him. He landed on top of the sword, and swung his own sword at Lucas' neck. The Battleschool apprentice dropped his sword and ducked, narrowly missing the blow. He swiftly swung his legs in a wide arch, connecting with Gilan's ankles and sending the Ranger apprentice tumbling to the ground.

Lucas scrambled to retrieve his sword and brought it down on Gilan, who quickly rolled away. Gilan leapt to his feet and flicked his sword up, blocking a vicious strike. Suddenly, Lucas reached out and grabbed Gilan's arm, throwing him roughly to the ground and brought his sword down hard on the apprentice's side. Gilan heard a small crack and gasped in pain, dropping his sword.

"Cease!" MacNeil shouted. "Lucas, physical contact without a sword is against the rules, therefore-"

"Sir MacNeil if I may," Lucas interrupted. "there aren't any rules in a _real_ swordfight, and physical contact isn't against the rules, it's just frowned upon."

MacNeil, who was helping Gilan to his feet, narrowed his eyes. "Think you know everything do you, Redding?" he snapped. "Your dismissed get out of my sight."

Lucas sneered and offered a mock bow to Gilan who rubbed his side gingerly. With that the massive Battleschool apprentice threw his sword aside and walked away.

"Are you alright?" a voice from behind the two asked.

MacNeil and Gilan turned around to see Halt eyeing Gilan with concern.

Gilan nodded. "I think I have a bruised rib but other than that I'll live." he responded. "How did you get down here that fast?"

Halt gave a quick nod and turned around without answering Gilan's question. Gilan shrugged as he watched his mentor disappear into the trees to return to his initial post.

"Well then!" MacNeil's cheerful voice grabbed Gilan's wandering attention. "Shall we move onto the wooden posts?"

Gilan smiled sheepishly and nodded.

* * *

Gilan yawned as he placed his wooden sword down beside the fence post. He ached from the long day of training, but also from being sick. He couldn't wait to just get back to the cabin and rest. He stretched his sore muscles and made his way to the tree line where he would meet Halt on the path. Gilan ducked under a low hanging branch as he walked into the trees but stopped when he heard a twig snap from behind him.

"Well, well, well," a chilling voice sang. "If it isn't the sneaking little Ranger brat."

Gilan spun around to find five massive Battleschool apprentices snickering at him. Gilan was most focused on the one in the middle, Lucas.

"If you think your going to get away with making me look like a fool, your wrong." Lucas hissed.

Gilan raised an eyebrow much like Halt would, and crossed his arms. "I think your very capable of looking like a fool without me, _Mucus."_ he snapped _._

A stunned silence settled on the group of apprentices and Lucas narrowed his eyes. Lucas broke the silence by balling up his fist and punched Gilan square in the face, knocking the smaller apprentice off his feet. Gilan's vision darkened as he hit the ground and he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Lucas reached down and hauled Gilan to his feet, pinning him roughly against a tree.

"I outta skin you for saying that!" he growled. Then a sickening smile spread across his face and he reached one hand into his back pocket, pulling out a large knife.

"In fact, I think I will." he sneered, holding the knife against Gilan's neck. "How does that sound, sneaker?"

Gilan struggled hard against the massive apprentice's iron grip, only to feel the cold metal press against his neck harder.

"Halt!" he cried desperately as a few beads of blood appeared under the knife.

The Battleschool apprentices laughed at his cries for help and began mocking him.

"Aww, is the wittle baby scared?" Lucas pouted with amusement. Then his fake pout twisted into a maniacal smile. "Because you should be."

"Let him go." growled a menacing voice from beside them.

The apprentices jumped and turned to see who the voice belonged to. Some of the apprentices paled and backed away. Gilan's spirits soared when he saw his mentor appear from behind a tree. He was holding his longbow loosely in his left hand and a sharp arrow in his right.

"Unless you want a few arrows through you." Halt continued, glaring at each one of the apprentices.

Gilan felt Lucas' grip on the knife slacken and he let out a quick sigh of relief.

"Stay out of this old man, it's none of your business." Lucas snapped, forcefully shoving Gilan harder against the tree.

 _Mistake Number 1._ Gilan snickered to himself.

"It is my business when your threatening my apprentice." Halt said plainly, and slowly nocked the arrow.

Lucas scoffed and rolled his eyes, but his cohorts inched away.

"I will not hesitate to shoot you, and I will not ask you again." the Ranger continued. "Let. Him. Go."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Make me."

Gilan suddenly let out a short laugh, but was silenced by the force of the cold knife.

"What are you laughing at Ranger brat?" he hissed.

Gilan smiled smugly. "Mistake Number 2," he snickered. "And that's as many as Halt allows."

The short cry of one of Lucas' friends drew away the pair's attention. Lucas looked over his shoulder to find all his companions unconscious on the ground with Halt standing over them. Halt drew back his bow and narrowed his eyes. A look of horror flashed across Lucas' face and he quickly released Gilan who sank to the ground with relief and wiped the blood off his neck.

"Get out of my sight before I make sure an arrow is the last thing you ever see." Halt snapped.

Lucas scrambled backward and dashed away, dropping his knife in the process. Gilan felt a tear of relief slide down his face and he quickly brushed it away. Halt lowered his bow and hurried over to Gilan, quickly dropping to one knee beside him. He wrapped his arms comfortingly around his apprentice who was stifling back tears.

"It's alright Gilan, he's gone." Halt said, helping Gilan to his feet.

"I know," Gilan sniffed. "It was just-" he suddenly cut himself off.

"It was what?" Halt asked curiously. Gilan shook his head and shrugged. Halt nodded with realization and sighed.

"Gilan, it's okay to say you were scared," he said softly. "Anyone would be in your situation."

Gilan glanced at his mentor thankfully and brushed away a few tears. "Thanks for helping me out."

Halt allowed himself a small smile and gave his apprentice a brief, rare hug. "It's why I'm here."

"I can't wait to get home and sleep all day." Gilan said as he bounded to Blaze. "I sure hope I gave my illness to that jerk." he added disdainfully.

Blaze whinnied in agreement.

"I do too." Halt replied quietly as he mounted Abelard.

* * *

 **And that was chapter 4! Sorry if it was sucky. I know it was a little long but meh, who cares. I really hope you all enjoyed it. though. Please review! We love hearing what you guys have to say, and we love suggestions too!**

 **~Kat**


	5. Chapter 5

**Heyo guys! So this chapter will be fairly short, but it is important so don't skip it! Hopefully you enjoy it!**

 **~Nan**

 **DISCLAIMER: We do NOT own Ranger's Apprentice, John Flanagan does. Heaven knows none of us are smart enough to come up with any good ideas.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Aww crap!" Gilan scowled as the wind snatched up his map and carried it into the trees.

"What?" Halt asked as he brought Abelard up beside Blaze.

"The wind stole my map." Gilan sighed, slumping in his saddle.

Halt raised a brow and gestured to the woods.

"So go get it." he replied.

Gilan suddenly straightened and pulled Blaze to a stop. "What? You want me to go in there?" he asked with disbelief.

Halt nodded.

"But...bears," Gilan began.

"Aren't in this area." Halt finished. "Now go."

Gilan scowled and slid off Blaze. He slowly moved toward the bushes and examined the dark pine trees ahead of him. He glanced back once at his mentor who gestured for him to hurry up. He stepped over the bushes and advanced into the darkness ahead of him. The tall pine trees loomed overhead ominously, and vast pine needles littered the forest floor. Gilan was partly grateful that the large number of pine needles muffled the sound of his boots. He glanced around for his map and caught sight of the small parchment caught on a branch at the top of a pine tree.

Gilan groaned but made his way over to the tree. He climbed it with ease, making his way to the map quickly. He stepped on a sturdy branch and reached up to grab his map. He smiled to himself when he grabbed it and began to make his way down the tree, but froze when he heard the loud pounding of hooves on the ground. He settled himself on a branch covered with pine needles and glanced down. He gasped when he saw a group of large people on black horses and a single cloaked rider on a white horse facing them.

Gilan leaned forward in an attempt to hear what they were saying. He could make out the words, "Outsiders, kingdom, Wargals, Rangers, and...Morgarath." He squinted when he saw the rider on the white horse reach up to pull down his cowl. Gilan gasped in horror but quickly covered his mouth when he realized how loud he had been. He froze and wrapped his cloak around himself, blending in with the pine needles as the group of riders looked up. Seeing nothing, they returned to their conversation, this time talking in hushed voices. Gilan couldn't take his eyes off the lone rider on the white horse. It was Morgarath himself.

After a few more moments of talking, the group dispersed and disappeared within the pines. Gilan waited a good two minutes before descending the tree. As soon as his feet hit the ground he took off in a dead run toward the path. He had barely gone a few feet when someone suddenly grabbed him around the waist and yanked him back. His attacked pulled him back away from the path and pinned his arms behind his back.

"What do we have here?" a cold, deep voice asked. "A wee spy perhaps?"

Gilan attempted to pull away from his captor but they had an iron grip.

"No, no, no," a different, unintelligent voice replied. "It's for sure one of them Rangers."

"Yeah?" a third raspy voice asked. "He's rather young though isn't he?"

"Not if he's just one of them 'prentices," the second voice responded.

"Let me go or I'll shoot you full of arrows!" Gilan hissed, struggling fiercely against his muscular captor.

"Fiery little devil, this one is." the deep voice laughed. Gilan identified him as the one restraining him, the other two voices were behind him so he couldn't see them, but he could hear their cold laughter.

"Haven't your parents ever told you lying gets you no where?" the third voice asked. "It's probably best to have a bow if you plan to 'shoot us full of arrows'."

Gilan mentally cursed himself but kept quiet.

"Yeah, that's what we thought." the unintelligent sounding voice teased.

Gilan huffed and rolled his eyes. His two other captors had moved in front of him and in the dim moonlight he could just barely make out their faces. One of them was tall and unattractively boney and thin man with large front teeth. The other was a fat, ugly woman with a large wart on her nose.

"Huh! He's a handsome one!" The ugly woman with the raspy voice cooed.

"Don't be deceived Loraine!" the ugly man exclaimed. "This here Ranger could kill you's so fast you wouldn't even known what hit ya's.

The woman cackled and scrunched up her face. "Oh Billy," she giggled. "Surely no, this little cutie couldn't hurt a fly," she said pinching Gilan's cheeks much to his dismay. "We wouldn't gave him the chance." The woman gave Gilan a little slap and withdrew into the shadows.

"We better take him to the boss," the unintelligent man began. "He _is_ a Ranger."

"Technically, an apprentice." Gilan's captor added in.

"Still," the woman added in. "It's a shame we have to turn him over though, especially considering what the boss might do."

Gilan shuddered. He knew exactly who "the boss" was, and he wanted know part of him.

"Aye, the boy knows who he is." the deep voice said after noticing Gilan's shuddering. "Almost feel sorry for the poor lad."

At that moment Gilan got an amazing idea. Desperate and humiliating maybe, but amazing.

"Well don't," Billy began. "Because he-"

Billy stopped when he noticed the small sniffling noises Gilan was making.

"What, is he?" the deep voiced man asked.

Gilan had thought of every little sad thing in his life, and managed to make himself cry. Of course the three idiot captors didn't know he was faking.

"Oh God no," Loraine began turning away. "I can't look at this."

Gilan let out what sounded like a sob to the three captors, but was actually a laugh.

"Fergus," the lady began. "Must we take him to the boss?"

Fergus, the owner of the deep voice, shifted uncomfortably and loosened his grip on Gilan slightly. Gilan shifted so that he was closer to the path and let out another sob/laugh.

"Well, I-"

Before Fergus could finish, Gilan stomped on his foot as hard as he could and elbowed him forcefully in the stomach. Fergus howled in pain and staggered backward. Gilan scrambled away from his three captors and sprinted toward the path.

"Grab him!" Fergus bellowed. "Get that little-"

Gilan didn't hear the rest because he ran right into someone and flew backward into the pine needles. He scrambled to his feet and attempted to run away but the person he ran into grabbed his arm.

"Gilan!"

Gilan looked up and sighed with relief at the sight of Halt.

"What's wrong? What are you running from?"

Gilan glanced over his shoulder fearfully and pulled Halt quickly to the path where their horses were waiting.

"Halt!ItwassoterriblemymapwasinthetreeandIclimbeditbutIheardthehorsesandthehorsescameanditwasMorgarathandthosethreeidiotstheyworkforMorgarathand-"

"Whoa! Gil, slow down, stop." Halt snapped glancing toward the pine trees. "Did you say Morgarath?"

Gilan nodded fiercely and took a breath to continue but Halt stopped him.

"Gilan, what do you mean you saw Morgarath?"

Gilan looked at his mentor quizzically. "I mean, I was in the tree and I saw him ride into the clearing on a big, scrawny looking white horse."

Halt thought carefully for a few moments then narrowed his eyes. "Gilan, don't lie to me."

Gilan's jaw dropped. "I'm not lying!" he exclaimed with disbelief.

"Morgarath is gone," Halt continued sharply. "Get on your horse we're going home."

"But Halt!" Gilan protested.

"Enough Gilan!" Halt snapped. "Your overtired and you imagined it, now, . ."

Gilan's face crumpled and he turned away from Halt quickly. He mounted Blaze and patted her neck.

"Go on Blaze." he mumbled and the bay mare shot forward leaving Halt alone on the path.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Halt knew Gilan wasn't lying. He just didn't want to believe it himself.

"You let him escape?"

The three idiots that caught Gilan in the woods now stood, cowering under Morgarath's calm, but smoldering gaze.

"Well, milord, we didn't really let him escape," Fergus stammered. "He attacked us."

Morgarath nodded slowly. "I see." he sighed and leaned back into his throne that was roughly carved out of a stone by Wargals. "And you say there was a second Ranger? Along with this young one."

"That's right!" Billy exclaimed lifting a bony finger. "An old one he was too! I reckon he was the young one's mentor!"

Morgarath's soulless black eyes suddenly lit up. "Old you say?"

"Not really old, just not young." Loraine clarified.

A small smile crept across Morgarath's face. "Ah,"

He suddenly whistled loudly and a few Wargals standing in the corner scrambled toward him. A group of black clad men stepped forward as well. All stood at attention and waited for their master's words.

"The Ranger will be hard to crack," he began stroking his chin thoughtfully. "and if this Ranger is the one I hope he is, he will be even tougher."

The group of servants exchanged puzzled glances.

"But he seems to have a close bond with this young Ranger," Morgarath laughed lightly. "That will be his downfall."

Morgarath stood up slowly and looked down at his intimidated servants.

"I've made my decision," he began. "Bring me the apprentice."

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN.**

 ***crickets* ... Yeah I know, boring chapter. But I'm gonna blame it on the time. It's late, or early I should say. I hope you all enjoyed it! PLEASE REVIEW ;D *hint...hint...hiiint* We like your input.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! So I'm not sure how this chapter will turn out, but hopefully it will be good. Lol, yeah this one is going to be short, I just thought you guys might want an update.**

 ***This takes place 6 months later than the previous chapter. So Gilan is now in his second year.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Nan**

 **Chapter 6**

 _Bang, bang, bang._

A loud knocking at the door pulled Gilan from his slumber and he slowly sat up. He looked out his window and noted that it was still dark out, and the moon was only half way up in the sky. He felt a stab of panic and rose from the bed, hearing quiet whispers from outside his door. Gilan grabbed a throwing knife from off his desk and slowly opened the door. He peered out and felt subtle relief when he saw Halt talking with what looked like another Ranger at the table.

"Halt?" Gilan's quiet voice interrupted their whispers.

Halt glanced toward his apprentice then made a gesture for him to stay where he was. He seemed to ask the other Ranger something and after a quick but heated discussion, he waved Gilan over.

Gilan put the knife down on the table as he passed it and sat down in the middle of the cloaked Ranger and his mentor. A puzzled look flashed across his face and he turned to Halt.

"Ah, I forgot," Halt began. "Gilan, you remember Crowley, don't you?"

Gilan's gaze flicked to the cloaked Ranger and he nodded curtly. "Yeah,"

The Ranger sitting across from Halt pulled down his cowl, revealing Crowley, the Corps Commandant. He smiled and nodded to Gilan, then returned his attention to Halt.

"We will need to assign a few Rangers to look into this situation," he said quietly. "That's why I came to you with the news first."

Halt sighed and twirled the knife Gilan had set down in his hand. "I know, but Gilan's with me now, and this isn't something a second year apprentice needs to be caught up in."

Gilan's curiosity only grew as he listened intently to the two senior Rangers.

"Halt," he finally said. "What happened?"

Crowley pursed his lips and gestured to Halt. Halt reluctantly turned to the apprentice.

"Well," he sighed. "Two Rangers have been attacked, an apprentice and his mentor."

Gilan's eyes grew wide with surprise as he leaned against the table.

"Unfortunately, both were killed," Crowley intervened.

Horror crossed Gilan's face and he gripped the edge of the table tightly.

"The apprentice went missing first," Halt continued. "Then his mentor went searching for him and never returned."

"We sent a few Rangers to look for them, and found them both dead." Crowley concluded.

Gilan stared at the two Rangers in disbelief. "Who could have been able to overpower and kill two Rangers?"

Crowley shrugged while Halt stared blankly at the table. Gilan blinked and sat back in the chair, suddenly feeling very fatigued.

"You don't think this could happen again do you?" Gilan asked with concern.

Crowley shook his head reassuringly. "Oh, no, no, this is very rare."

"We think it may be a religious cult called the Outsiders," Halt added in. "They are known to be very violent."

Gilan bit his lip nervously. The thought of having to go after a group of people capable of killing two Rangers was just a bit intimidating to him.

"Well, do we have to go?" he asked quietly.

Halt's gaze shifted to Crowley who crossed his arms.

"I need the best on this, Halt." he sighed. "And you and Gil are the best people for the job."

Gilan began to chew on his fingernail nervously.

"But why us? Why can't you do it?" he asked.

Crowley sighed disdainfully. "I don't want to draw too much attention to this," he hissed. "If the Crops Commandant suddenly goes missing on some secret mission everyone will get worried."

Gilan nodded understandingly but Halt remained still as a stone.

"Gilan isn't ready for something this serious." he repeated.

Crowley smiled and shook his head. "Oh but he is," he insisted. "You know as much as I do that he's gotten better than you at unseen movement."

Halt seemed to consider this for a moment then turned to Gilan. "I still don't support it,"

Crowley shook his head slightly as if suffering a great loss, while Gilan let out a subtle sigh of relief.

"But," Halt continued while Gilan groaned inwardly. "We can't risk something like this happening again."

Crowley's face lit up and he stood to shake hands with Halt.

"Well then, I'll send you more on the matter in a few days," he said. "In the mean time you can head to town and see if something like this is happening to other people."

Halt nodded respectfully while Gilan stood groggily.

"Oh and, try not to be seen while your around town," he added with a hint of amusement, eyeing Gilan. "Might freak out the locals."

Gilan smiled slightly as the commandant slipped out the door and disappeared quickly into the forest.

"I certainly won't be getting back to sleep after that." Gilan huffed as he slid back into the chair.

Halt gave him a reassuring pat on the back and grabbed the knife. "Then we better get started early," he tossed Gilan his cloak and put on his own. "I'll take the North side of town, you take South."

Gilan hesitantly nodded and started to head for his room to put on the rest of his uniform when Halt stopped him.

"Just be careful when you go, South side isn't always fond of Rangers snooping around."

Gilan nodded, just one more thing to worry about. Great.

* * *

Gilan pulled Blaze to a stop beside the entrance of town and slid off her back.

"Stay here," he whispered, pulling a shiny apple out of his pocket and feeding it to the horse.

Blaze nudged him affectionately and whinnied. _"Be careful."_

Gilan rolled his eyes and gave her a gentle shove. "Am I ever not?"

Blaze stared at him for a moment and whipped her head back and forth. Gilan scowled and turned away, slipping into the brush.

As soon as his boots hit the gravel, Gilan pulled on his hood and seemingly melted into the building beside him. He carefully maneuvered his way to the roof of the building and squinted, seeing the outlines of a few figures scurrying about in the moonlight. Gilan swiftly jumped from building to building like a shadow, not making a sound as his soft boots hit the tile of the roofs. The brightest lights in the small side of town was the tavern which was full of life as usual. Gilan could hear loud cheers coming from the small building as he ducked behind a large brick chimney. The tavern was the perfect place to hear news from, a bunch a drunk gossipers telling tales from past days.

Gilan eyed the road carefully, making sure no one was around, then he slid off the roof and into an alley. He crept forward silently, knowing he would have to run his fastest across the street to remain undetected. Gilan was just about to run across the street when he heard a small voice from behind him.

"Who are you?" Gilan whipped around to see a small boy, no more than 7 or 8, covered in ash and mud. The boy's huge chocolate eyes widened when he saw Gilan's bow and sword.

"You're a Ranger aren't you?" he asked. Gilan looked around carefully before crouching down in front of the small child.

"I am, and I'm in the middle of a very important task," he began, watching the boy's eyes light up. "If you want to help, you'll just stay here and don't tell anyone I'm here, alright?"

Gilan watched with satisfaction as the boy nodded. Gilan examined the boy quickly and came to a saddening conclusion.

"Where is your family?" he asked.

The boy's face fell. "I don't think I have one, they went away."

Gilan's heart sank as the boy spoke.

"They went into the woods one day and didn't come back."

"Where do you live?" Gilan asked carefully.

He followed the boy's tiny finger to a small tent like structure. It looked like a woman's fur coat being held up by a stick.

"You almost fell on it." the boy said with a giggle. "What were you doing up on that roof anyway?"

Gilan couldn't help but smile. "It's part of my task," he explained, remembering why he was in that alley in the first place. "I need to leave, but here,"

Gilan pulled another, big, shiny apple out of his pocket and held it out to the boy.

"It was suppose to be for my horse," he said. "but she's had so many apples she's starting to look more like a furry whale."

The boy gratefully took the apple and let out a laughed that warmed Gilan from head to toe.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Gilan,"

"I'm Benjy." the boy responded take a big bite out of the apple.

Gilan smiled, but the smile slowly faded when he noticed how thin the boy actually was.

"Well, Benjy, you're very kind for not telling anyone about me," Gilan began. "I'll be sure to come back and visit you sometime."

Benjy smiled widely at Gilan and suddenly wrapped his tiny arms around the apprentice, embracing him in a gentle hug.

Gilan sat shocked for a moment as he watched Benjy give a final wave, and disappear into the darkness of the alley.

* * *

 **Sorry for not updating sooner! I hope you all enjoyed Gilan's run in with Benjy xD, you might see more of him later on. *hint hint***

 **Please review if you liked it or if you have any advice! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hullo peoples! So I know we haven't written in a while but that's because... *dun dun dun* high school. We've all got so much work and its kinda taking us away from the writing, but no worries, we'll do our best to alternate who will write when. So, hopefully we'll get back on our feet and start writing more actively, anywho, here's some more of the story enjoooy.**

 **~Kat**

 **Chapter 8**

Gilan sulked back to Blaze who was staring longingly at the top of an apple tree. Gilan's gaze flicked up to the bright apples at the top of the tree, but returned to staring at the ground. Blaze whinnied and stomped her hoof.

"I'm fine Blaze, just tired." Gilan yawned. "I came out with nothing, no one had any information on those two Rangers."

Blaze snorted, then nudged Gilan's hand.

"What?" Gilan asked rubbing the mare's head.

Blaze nudged him harder, this time nosing his pocket.

"Oh," Gilan sighed. "The apple, yeah sorry girl, I gave it to someone who needed it more."

Blaze stomped her hoof once more and shoved Gilan with her head, sending him flying into the ground. Gilan scrambled to his feet and glared at the horse but didn't engage her. That's a fight he wouldn't win. Blaze stared back at him innocently and gazed once again at the top of the tree. Gilan rolled his eyes and brushed dirt off his clothes.

"If you wanted me to get that apple for you," Gilan began, shaking out his cloak. "You shouldn't have pushed me down."

Blaze snorted and shook her head slowly as if mimicking Gilan in her head. Gilan laughed and rubbed the mare's neck. "Oh, you didn't need that apple anyway." he reassured her.

Blaze rolled her eyes jokingly, but then went stiff, she whinnied nervously and nudged Gilan softly. Gilan caught on to her warning and grabbed his bow in one hand and was ready to grab his sword with the other. He pulled his cowl over his head and melted into the shadows. Blaze backed up shook out her mane. Gilan crouched slowly when he heard quiet voices coming from the direction of the town. Blaze and her rider had practiced situations just like the one they were facing many times. Blaze would act lost and confused while Gilan hid and assessed his opponents.

The sound of footsteps grew louder and Blaze whinnied loudly and trotted around in circles.

"What's that horse doing here?" a rough voice asked.

Gilan tensed and listened intently

"Maybe it belongs to the town," another voice suggested. "Just leave it be."

Gilan poked his head around a tree and watched as three large men approached from the town. In between them was a smaller, cloaked figure. Gilan squinted his eyes to get a glimpse of who it was then clutched his bow harder. He recognized the figure as half conscious Halt and watched with confusion, why was Halt with those three men? As Gilan watched however, he grew more concerned. One of the three men shoved Halt to the ground.

"We don't like no Rangers sneaking around our part of town," the biggest of the trio snarled.

"Yeah, we don't feel safe," a second man sneered, twirling Halt's longbow in his hand. "You shouldn't either."

The third man seemed a bit smarter, he was still focused on Blaze. "I don't know guys, a horse like this belonging to the town...?" he asked. "It's also really far out..."

"Shut up John," the first man hissed.

Halt glared at the three men silently, though his attention faltered, when he saw Blaze. Gilan silent slipped through the trees, trying to get a good vantage point.

"We'd be a lot happier if the Rangers just left us alone." The biggest man spat. "Why don't we do the town a favor and get rid of this one, eh Duke?"

"I like that idea, Hans." The second man, Duke snickered and nodded, while the man they called John, stared at Blaze who galloped away fearfully. Gilan grabbed an arrow from his quiver and drew back his bow, as the biggest man, Hans, raised a large, steel sword over Halt.

 _Clang!_

Gilan's arrow connected with the sword, ripping out of the man's hands. The three men jumped in alarm and looked around. Halt's concerned gaze shifted toward Gilan.

"There's two!" Duke cursed.

"I knew it," John hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Hans however, said nothing and sneered to himself, stretching out his wounded hand.

Gilan drifted through the trees, drawing back another arrow. He narrowed his eyes and let loose another arrow right at Hans' arm. Gilan stared in disbelief as the arrow bounced harmlessly off Hans' arm with a small _clink._

"Nice aim, kid." Hans snickered pointed toward Gilan. "There go get him,"

"W-what but Hans," Duke began. "It's a Ranger-"

"Apprentice," Hans interrupted, holding up the arrow. "They use a different arrow than their mentors, now go get him."

Gilan blinked with confusion as the two men stalked forward carefully. Hans knew a lot about the Rangers, too much. Gilan drew back his bow and fired another arrow, hitting one of the approaching men in the chest, but the arrow once again bounced off. Flustered, Gilan drew his sword and held it firmly in his hands. He drifted into the shadows, evading the men carefully. Once one man approached, Gilan slipped behind them unseen, and unheard.

"Hans we-" Duke's call was cut short by a firm strike on the head with the hilt of Gilan's sword.

The man stumbled, but didn't fall. "You little brat!" he growled and whipped around, and whipped out his own sword.

He swung the sword fiercely at Gilan who blocked the vicious strike. Duke pulled his sword back and swung it, catching Gilan on the side. Gilan yelped and dove to the side, rolling onto the ground and once again blocking a fierce strike. He leapt to his feet and swung his sword at Duke's feet. The huge man jumped right as Gilan swung and landed on the sword, ripping it from Gilan's grip.

Gilan frantically scrambled away from the man and fumbled with his bow. Duke mimicked Gilan's attempt to disarm him by swinging the hilt of his sword at Gilan's feet. Gilan fell backward and hit his head on something hard on the ground. Gilan blinked as the trees began to spin. He heard loud ringing as he tried to get to his feet. John grabbed him roughly and pinned Gilan's arms behind his back and dragged him toward Hans.

"Well, well." Hans sneered. "What do we have here? Mentor and apprentice perhaps?"

Hans walked calmly to Gilan and stared at him for a moment before ripping Gilan's bow away from him. He snapped it in half, causing Gilan to flinch, then tossed the bow aside.

"You have a good aim, as I said before." Hans began. "But you'll find arrows to be quite useless against our armor."

He lifted his sleeve up a little to show shiny steel armor underneath. "Cost me a fortune, but it was worth it."

Worry flashed across Halt's eyes for just a quick moment, but he composed himself quickly. Duke glared murderously at Gilan who was swaying uneasily on his feet.

"Now I'm just curious about what you two were doing snooping around _my_ town." Hans continued as if nothing had happened.

Gilan and Halt exchanged a quiet look but remained silent.

Hans shrugged as he turned to Halt. "Looks like I'll have to make you talk."

"I'm not talking." Halt said simply.

Hans smiled darkly and gestured to John. "Oh, I think you will." he snickered.

John pulled a long, shiny dagger out of his bag and held it against Gilan's neck.

"Especially with your apprentice's life in my hands."

Gilan elbowed John in the stomach but the large man only smirked and tightened his grip on the apprentice. Halt remained silent, but his worry grew more obvious.

"Tick tock Ranger." John snickered, pressing the knife harder against Gilan.

Halt growled with frustration and rose to his feet. "We were only doing as we were asked by our commandant," he lied. "He told us to go into town and see if there were any problems."

John shook his head skeptically and sighed dramatically. Gilan let out an involuntary whimper as blood began to appear under the knife.

"We don't like liars, Ranger." Duke sneered.

"It's not a lie." Halt insisted. "Now let him go."

Hans seemed to consider this for a moment. "Maybe you are telling the truth," he sighed. Then he shrugged and glanced at John. "Kill the apprentice."

"No!" Halt cried.

Suddenly, Blaze and a huge black horse burst from the bushes and charged at John. John cried out with alarm and shoved Gilan forward, leaping back. Gilan scrambled toward Halt who embraced his apprentice in a brief hug. Gilan glanced back at the black horse to see it had a rider.

"Go! Forget them just go!" Hans roared.

John and Duke hurried away, following Hans. The black horse and Blaze trotted toward the two Rangers. Halt stepped protectively in front of his apprentice and glared at the rider unsurely. Then without warning the rider pulled a small sphere out of their bag and threw it to the ground, engulfing the small clearing in smoke.

"Gilan!" Halt yelled when he heard his apprentice hit the ground.

Halt shook his head as dizziness slowly overcame him. The last thing he saw was the rider looming over him.

* * *

 **Halt's P.O.V**

"Halt?" a loud voice called, and echoed in Halt's head. "Halt? Halt wake up." the voice persisted. Halt slowly opened his eyes and blinked.

"Crowley?" Halt mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me." Crowley responded. "You two didn't return yesterday, so I came to find you, but the rider took me here too."

"Rider?" Halt asked. Then he remembered.

"Gilan?" he asked. "Is Gilan alright?"

Crowley nodded nervously. "Yeah, yeah, he's just fine don't worry about him right now."

Halt eyed Crowley suspiciously and sat up.

"Where is he?" Halt asked. Crowley remained silent then spoke. "Who?"

"Gilan, you idiot!" Halt growled and got up slowly.

"Halt, I wouldn't do that if I were you, that knock-out stuff can have after effects."

Halt whipped around, almost flying off his feet. "Knock out stuff?"

Crowley nodded, "Yeah the rider likes his privacy, so he'll knock out the people he saves then brings them here and-"

"No, stop, you got me to change the subject." Halt grumbled. "Where is my apprentice?"

Crowley rocked back and forth on his boots and stared at Halt. "So he had a lot of harsh wounds, they said he was in the hospital wing."

Halt clenched his fists. "They? Who's they?" he barked. "And where are we? You know what forget it."

Halt marched toward the large wooden door and yanked, but it wouldn't move. He jiggled the handle, but the door stayed shut.

"We're locked in?!" Halt roared.

Crowley shrugged and looked out the barred window behind him. "Oh look at that, what a nice window..."

"Crowley!" Halt snapped. "We have no idea who these people are and they have Gilan!"

Crowley shook his head. "Gilan is fine trust me, I know these people they're-"

Crowley was cut short by an alarmed cry coming from what sounded like another floor.

"Halt!"

Halt froze, it was Gilan.

* * *

 **Gilan's P.O.V**

Cold, that's all Gilan felt when he started to awaken. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced around. He was in a large room made of stone with a large wooden door to his left. Gilan shifted slightly but a sharp pain in his side stopped him. He tried to sit up to see what it was but he felt that his wrists and ankles were tied to the table he was on. He yanked on the ropes but they didn't move.

"Halt!" Gilan cried out fearfully.

A gloved hand clamped over Gilan's mouth, causing him even more alarm.

"Shut up!" a voice hissed. "Geez you're so loud, you're gonna give me a headache."

Gilan stared wide eyed at the dark cloaked figure hovering over him.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm here to help you," the figure said, pulling their hand way.

"Wha- but-" Gilan stuttered. "Where am I?"

The cloaked figure turned away. "In the home of the Rider."

"The what?" Gilan asked, glancing around the room. "Wait, if you're trying to help me, why am I tied to this table."

The cloaked figure turned back to Gilan. "To keep you here, the Rider doesn't want anyone to see his home without his permission." he explained. "You also need to rest, you and your mentor were very hurt."

Gilan stared at the figure quizzically. "Well, who are you then?" he asked.

"No one of relevance. Now I must be going."

"Wait, what! You can't just leave me here!" Gilan cried.

"Yeah, sorry but I can, and I'm going to so," The figure approached the door. "I'll be back in a few hours to see how you are doing."

With that the figure swung open the door and disappeared down the hall. The door slammed shut, leaving Gilan alone in the creepy room.

"This sucks." Gilan mumbled.

* * *

 **Heeeeey! We love reviews, they would be awesome sauce.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi.**

 **~ Anna**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Gilan awoke with a start and looked around wildly. He instantly realized that he was no longer in the same room, and he could move. The new room was lit by a warm fire and he was in a comfortable bed with a soft quilt. Gilan sat in confusion and glanced around the room, spotting his sword and a new recurve bow sitting on a table by the fire. But why had he been moved? And why hadn't he remembered it? Gilan was pulled from his thoughts wen a large woman in warm baby blue gown burst through the door. She froze when she saw Gilan awake, then smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh, sorry dear did I wake you?" She asked.

Gilan shook his head and eyed her, puzzled.

"Something the matter deary?"

Gilan paused before speaking but then sat up.

"Wasn't there another man before?" he asked. "And a different room?"

The woman rolled her eyes and nodded. "Oh yes," she sighed disdainfully. "Rylan and his methods, I'm afraid he's not all too fond of Rangers."

Gilan tilted his head slightly. "But why?"

The woman simply smiled and gathered up some pillows from the room, replacing them with cleaner ones that were under her arm.

"It is not my place to explain," she said. "But the master wants to speak to you and your mentor shortly, that is when you will get your answers." With that the woman turned and left quietly.

Gilan waited for a moment then slowly got out of the bed and crept toward the door. He tested the handle, expecting it to be locked, but was surprised to find it open. He grabbed his bow, quiver and scabbard then slid the sword into the holster. He slipped through the door and closed it quietly behind him. He turned and glanced around the long, dark hallway. Low voices drifted down the hall toward the room and he began to follow them. He could have sworn he heard Crowley, but he blamed it on his imagination, how could Crowley be there?

As Gilan walked, he thought he heard another pair of footsteps and began to tread lighter, the soft padding under his boots made his steps almost completely silent. As the voices got louder he quickened his pace. What looked like a tiny door came into view and Gilan continued curiously, taking his attention away from the ground for a moment. Suddenly he tripped over something and tumbled to the ground. A loud cry came from whatever Gilan had tripped over and the apprentice quickly sat up. Gilan watched with silent shock as very small man, more than half the size of Halt, clambered to his feet cursing loudly. He turned rubbing his head and froze when he saw Gilan. His grumpy expression twisted into one of disdain and he narrowed his eyes at Gilan.

"Don't you watch where you step you clumsy fool?!" he scolded his voice shocking low and gravely. "Well? Don't just sit there and gawk you oversized klutz! Speak!"

Gilan stuttered, trying to find the words he wanted to say.

"Uh, I didn't- I mean- I- sorry..." He stammered.

"Sorry?" The tiny man narrowed his eyes.

"I just didn't see you," Gilan explained.

"Are you calling me short?" the man growled.

"What?" Gilan protested. "Of course not!"

"You Ranger types think you're so high and mighty, don't you?" the man scowled.

"Now just listen for second-"

"Well I'll show you!" the little man shouted and leapt onto Gilan, swatting at him and pulling on his hair.

"What the- Hey! Ouch! Knock it off!" Gilan roared and leapt to his feet scrambling around blindly.

A loud gasp followed by the clang of a metal tray caused the two to freeze.

"Gistik!" An enraged voice cried.

The little man leapt off Gilan and the apprentice brushed himself off. Gilan glanced up to see the woman from the room staring shocked at the short man called Gistik.

"How dare you attack that poor apprentice!" she shouted, then turned to Gilan with a completely different demeanor. "He didn't harm you too bad did he, deary?"

Gilan shook his head, not sure whether to be puzzled or amused. He decided on amused and leaned against the wall casually.

"You know I'm glad you're tall, it gives me more of you to hate." Gistik hissed.

"And I'm glad you're short it gives me less of you to look at!" Gilan retorted.

Gistik leapt at Gilan, but the large woman caught him and set him down.

"That's quite enough of that!" she huffed. "Now go to the kitchen, the cooks will need your help."

Gistik glared at Gilan but did as he was told and stalked off to the kitchen.

"Yes, Ms. Bell." he grumbled.

Gilan smirked and waved at him as he passed, earning a hard kick to the shin from the little man.

"Ow," Gilan hissed. "Little gremlin,"

Before the the two could fight again, Ms. Bell quickly dragged an annoyed Gilan away from the man and showed him to a slightly bigger wooden door. She pulled out a big key and began to unlock the door.

"You'll have to excuse Gistik, not everyone here is fond of Rangers," she sighed.

Gilan was just about to ask where here was when he heard a small click and the door creaked open slightly.

"Your friends are just inside here," she said warmly. "The master will be in shortly to see you three."

With a friendly smile she unlocked the door and gestured for Gilan to enter. The apprentice slowly walked inside and had to duck slightly to enter the room. He instantly brightened when he spotted Halt sipping coffee calmly by a roaring fire. The grizzled Ranger glanced up and nearly spilt his coffee on himself.

"Gilan," he smiled and embraced his apprentice in a brief hug.

"What happened? Where are we? Why is there a mean little guy out there? What did-"

"Ahem," a gruff voice interjected.

Gilan glanced over to see Crowley with his feet up on a smooth wooden table, grasping a pile of papers in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other.

"Crowley!" Gilan exclaimed practically tackling his Commandant in a warm hug.

"Hullo Gilan!" Crowley laughed, spilling coffee all over the papers in his hand.

Crowley then blinked for a moment and snorted with laughter.

"What happened to you?" he asked, gesturing to Gilan's messy blonde hair.

Gilan sighed and narrowed his eyes.

"Gistik," he grumbled, smoothing out his hair.

"Gis-what?"

"Never mind," Gilan smiled. "So, what are you doing here?"

Crowley attempted to raise his eyebrow but failed and sighed. "It's a long story,"

"I think we have some time," Gilan snickered, flopping into a large, floral cushioned chair.

There was a slight creak and Crowley glanced up.

"I think he can better explain this mess." The Commandant said.

Gilan's gaze shifted to the door and he stiffened in the chair. Standing by the door was a huge man in a black cloak that covered his face.

"Greetings, I am here to answer any questions you may have." the man said in a deep voice. "My name is Allowin, but most know me as the Rider."

* * *

 **So yeah, there's this guy now. Hopefully any questions that any of you had are answered in this chapter or the next lel. We love reviews, they're awesome.**

 **~ Anna :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating sooner, got a little busy. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions, I know there were a lot, but that's the point. We love to get our readers thinking. Also, just to clear something up, a reviewer commented that Gilan seemed a bit babyish in some chapters, there's a reason to that as well. He's like 13/14 in these earlier chapters and not quite accustomed to the life of a Ranger yet, as the story progresses you will begin to see more of his mature personality. So yes, he's supposed to be a little childish at first. Now, with that all done I'll get to the story. This chapter may be a little shorter, but hope you enjoy it anyway.**

 **~Liz**

 **DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Ranger's Apprentice, otherwise I would be rich and you would be reading this in an actual book.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Gilan settled himself beside his mentor and sipped at a cup of warm coffee. It tasted unpleasantly bitter, but since he didn't want to be rude, he simply set the cup down on the shiny mahogany table he, Halt and Crowley were seated at. The burly man, Allowin, sat down at the head of the table and removed the hood of his cloak revealing his face for the first time. He had dark brown hair which was slicked back neatly, a thin mustache and shiny dark eyes. He smiled warmly whenever he could which took away from his initial nerve-wracking appearance.

"I know this must be very confusing for you," he began softly. "So I will try to answer any questions you may have the best I can."

He waited patiently but Halt remained silent, as did Crowley. Gilan shrugged to himself and decided he would be the first to talk as usual.

"So, why do a lot of the people here hate Rangers?" the apprentice asked feeling slightly uncomfortable.

He involuntarily smoothed his hair which was still slightly messy from Gistik's unorthodox attack.

Allowin smiled brightly and folded his hands on the table.

"Good question," he began. "A lot of the workers in this house used to work for Morgarath and unfortunately acquired his hatred for Rangers. That's why some of my friends here may have treated you harshly when you first arrived."

Gilan recalled the first man he met, Rylan as Ms. Bell had called him, had tied him up when he first woke up. Gilan realized that out of the three people he had met in the castle besides Allowin, only one had been kind to him.

"Yep!" Crowley beamed, snapping Gilan out of his stupor. "They're all runaways who got tired of Morgarath's cruel treatment."

"But, let's refrain from talking too much about them for their own privacy." Allowin said. "Do you have any other questions?"

Gilan glanced to Halt who looked like he wasn't going to ask a question anytime soon, so Gilan decided to ask another.

"I just think it's kind of weird that Crowley is here," the apprentice said sheepishly. "Did he capture you too?"

Crowley scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Of course not!" he laughed. "Allowin and I happen to be good friends, he came to me with some interesting information."

Allowin nodded.

"I sometimes act as an informant for the Ranger Corps since most of my workers used to be Morgarath's servants," he explained. "I even have some of them working as spies in Morgarath's castle."

Gilan listened intently to the pair. The thought of spies and secret informants peaked his curiosity. Halt however, seemed indifferent, wearing a slightly annoyed expression. Gilan wondered if he was angry Crowley hadn't told him about Allowin.

"Anyway," Crowley continued. "He came to me one day to tell me that one of his spies heard from a guy who heard from another guy that Morgarath was the one targeting Rangers."

Gilan tilted his head with confusion.

"But Halt told me Morgarath was gone." he said glancing at Halt then back at Crowley.

Crowley mocked Halt by attempting, and failing, to raise an eyebrow.

"Halt," he scowled. "You didn't tell him that Morgarath was a suspect?"

Halt shrugged.

"Frankly no," the gruff Ranger responded.

"What?" Gilan protested. "Do you not trust me or something?"

"Of course I trust you Gilan," Halt sighed, running a hand over his face. "I just didn't think that I needed to tell you at the time."

Gilan reddened with frustration and tried to find the right words to say.

"You didn't think you needed to tell me about an important part of a mission?"

"Gilan," Halt huffed. "I expect you to respect my decision. You know about it now so it doesn't matter."

"It does matter! You-"

"Enough!" Halt snapped with more force than he intended.

The older Ranger felt a pang of guilt when Gilan recoiled and fixed his stormy sapphire gaze onto the ground. Halt huffed with frustration and took a swig of the steaming coffee in front of him. Crowley shifted awkwardly in the luxurious chair across from the pair, but Allowin remained still as a stone with only a glimmer of sympathy in his dark eyes.

"Shall we continue with our explanation?" Allowin asked quietly.

Halt nodded curtly but Gilan continued to stare at the ground remaining eerily quiet and seething with anger.

"As I was saying, Allowin had told me that Morgarath was targeting Rangers," Crowley continued unsurely. "I became concerned when I recalled you two had gone into town and hadn't heard anything back. Since I was swamped with important paper work, I asked Allowin to check in on you guys."

"However, he abandoned that important paperwork with no remorse when I asked him to come with me." Allowin added with a smirk.

Gilan failed to hide his amusement when Crowley scowled.

"We arrived just in time to see those town cretins attack you two," Crowley growled. "Fortunately, Allowin and I were there to save you guys."

Gilan inwardly laughed, deciding he didn't want to annoy two Rangers in one day. He already felt weighed down by the argument with his mentor. The group sat awkwardly in a chilling silence, then Allowin slowly got up from the table.

"Why don't we go discuss where to go from here in the other room," he suggested.

Crowley quickly caught on and got up as well. He waved goodbye to Gilan and nodded to Halt. Gilan smiled half-heartedly in return but Halt ignored the gesture and stared at the steam that was swirling above the coffee. Allowin and Crowley left the room leaving Gilan and Halt in silence. The two didn't speak even when Gistik entered the room grumbling something. He carried a shiny silver platter with two cups of fresh coffee on it.

"Here," Gistik snapped, shoving the cups onto the table sloppily.

As he turned to leave, the small man's scowl twisted into an ugly sneer when he noticed the tense atmosphere.

"Got in a fight did you?" he snickered. "Hope you two end up killing each other."

Gilan's icy gaze shifted to the small man who was giving him a nasty sneer.

"Shouldn't you be off sucking up to one of your superiors, you little dwarf?" he snarled disdainfully.

The little man's smile instantly disappeared from his face as the silver platter slipped through his grip.

"I outta kill you for saying that," he spat.

"I'd love to see you try," Gilan challenged with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"One day..." Gistik hissed.

"Yeah, maybe one day you'll reach the top of his boots." Gilan sighed, nodding to Halt who gave a ghost of a smile.

Gistik roared a few choice words at the apprentice whom erupted into a fit of laughter. The small man grabbed up the platter and stormed out of the room shouting a colorful stream of curses as he slammed the door behind him. The room was once again plunged into an uncomfortable silence. Gilan leaned against the table and stared at a tiny droplet of water that fell from the ceiling and splashed onto the stone floor. Halt took a sip of the fresh coffee then loudly placed it back onto the table, stealing Gilan's attention away from the water. The apprentice glanced at his mentor briefly then returned his gaze to the ceiling.

"I didn't mean for you to get angry," Halt said finally breaking the silence. "I should have told you."

The action took Gilan by surprise and the apprentice stared at his mentor with disbelief. Halt never apologized first. Ever.

"I didn't want to worry you with such a pressing situation," the grizzly Ranger continued. "You needed to focus on your training."

Gilan's icy façade melted away as the apprentice smiled brightly at his mentor.

"I'm not angry, I just want to know what's going on," he said. "How can I learn trust if you keep things from me?"

Halt nodded in understanding.

"You're completely right," he sighed. "I'll just be honest with you from now on."

Gilan nodded. "That's all I ask."

With a warm smile from each of them, the mentor and apprentice clinked their coffee mugs together. They both took a sip but Gilan quickly spat his out and cried out. Halt stared at his apprentice like he grew a second head and set down his mug.

"What?" Halt asked.

Gilan was staring into the coffee with a look of despair on his face.

"That is not coffee," he whined.

"Then what it is?" Halt asked examining his own coffee.

Gilan shrugged but then fished a large piece of fabric out of the liquid.

"Well," the apprentice began, dropping the soggy fabric onto the table. "It appears to be someone's laundry."

Sliding his cup away from him, Halt shook his head.

"That Gistik fellow is a very unpleasant man,"

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